Arizona Tribune - Australia recalls parliament early to pass hate speech, gun laws

Australia has flagged a suite of reforms to hate crime and gun laws since the December 14 attack on a Jewish festival that killed 15 people -- the country's deadliest mass shooting in nearly three decades.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he would recall both houses of parliament for a sitting from January 19-20 to pass the new legislation and offer condolences to the victims.

Members of parliament had been scheduled to return from their summer break on February 3.

"The terrorists at Bondi Beach had hatred in their minds but guns in their hands -- this law will deal with both," Albanese told a news conference.

The legislation would create new offences for "hate preachers", stiffen hate crime penalties, expand a ban on prohibited symbols, and set the framework for a new list of banned hate groups.

It would allow the home affairs minister to reject or cancel visas for people intending to spread hatred, the prime minister said.

The laws would enable the launch of a national guns buyback scheme, the largest since Australia last targeted firearms following a mass shooting in 1996 that killed 35 people at Port Arthur, Tasmania.

Stricter checks would also be imposed for gun licences, the government said.

Details of the draft laws are to be released publicly on Tuesday.

Last week, the government announced a royal commission inquiry into the Bondi Beach shooting.

The federal royal commission -- the highest level of government inquiry -- will probe everything from intelligence failures to the prevalence of antisemitism in Australia.

Sajid Akram and his son Naveed allegedly targeted Jews attending a Hannukah celebration at Bondi Beach.

Sajid, 50, was shot and killed by police during the assault. An Indian national, he entered Australia on a visa in 1998.

His 24-year-old son Naveed, an Australian-born citizen who remains in prison, has been charged with terrorism and 15 murders.

A.Anderson--AT